Are drug commercials for doctors or patients?

[kdonnel]

As a patient has a drug commercial ever convinced you to ask your doctor to prescribe you the drug being advertised?

As a doctor has a drug commercial ever convinced you to start prescribing the drug being advertised?

There are so many drug commercials on TV now. I get all my TV from YouTubeTV and it seems like all the unskippable commercials are either for various drugs or Buick.

I have already decided I will never buy a Buick based on the sheer volume of commercials for their product I have been forced to watch.

I am thinking that if I ever end up with severely active rheumatoid arthritis, I would rather remain in pain then take Xeljanz. So many Xeljanz commercials, so many.

 

[Mermaid02]

As a patient has a drug commercial ever convinced you to ask your doctor to prescribe you the drug being advertised?

As a doctor has a drug commercial ever convinced you to start prescribing the drug being advertised?

There are so many drug commercials on TV now. I get all my TV from YouTubeTV and it seems like all the unskippable commercials are either for various drugs or Buick.

I have already decided I will never buy a Buick based on the sheer volume of commercials for their product I have been forced to watch.

I am thinking that if I ever end up with severely active rheumatoid arthritis, I would rather remain in pain then take Xeljanz. So many Xeljanz commercials, so many.

They are for patients and I think it is wrong wrong wrong. I was a medical secretary for years and patients would actually come in and demand the physician prescribe a certain medication. It was crazy.

I will never buy a Lincoln because of the weird Matthew Mcconaughey commercials. Dude, your friends are going to stop inviting you to their parties if you keep mumbling to and about your car. It's just weird.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I don't understand drug commercials. Doctors HATE being told how to do their job; anytime I have suggested to a doctor a possible cause of my ailment, or a possible avenue for treatment, the response I got was derision and scorn! So if people are watching these commercials and then being prescribed the drugs that they want, I want to know what the secret is! Someone once told me that drug commercials were all about brand recognition because some people only want name brand drugs.

 

[BadPinkTink]

As an regular intentional visitor to America, this has always fascinated me about American TV. Here in Ireland the advertising of prescription only drugs is not allowed. Only over the counter medication is allowed to be advertised.

It really fascinates me that the American general public can go to their doctor and ask for a particular brand of prescription medication. Here in Ireland, you go to a doctor and you just get the most appropriate brand of medication.

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't understand drug commercials. Doctors HATE being told how to do their job; anytime I have suggested to a doctor a possible cause of my ailment, or a possible avenue for treatment, the response I got was derision and scorn! So if people are watching these commercials and then being prescribed the drugs that they want, I want to know what the secret is! Someone once told me that drug commercials were all about brand recognition because some people only want name brand drugs.

I bet they really hate the internet.

 

[dish rag]

I’ve wondered the same thing.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

it's to create a sense of familiarity with the product. then you feel "normal" if you, or someone you love, has to take this medication.

also it has positive memories associated with it, because you first heard about it while you were eating pizza and watching the latest trendy TV show, NOT while you were wearing a paper gown and freaking out about test results.

it's an insidious form of marketing... how many times did people bandy about, "oh you just need some oxycodone for that pain", and now we have a massive addiction crisis. none of that would have happened if these were drugs that were NOT to be used outside of the hospital and proper OT/PT was provided to people healing from injuries, instead of just "have another dose."

Aside from the ethics, I hate those types of commercials because they remind me of that one person, you know, the one seated just a little too close to you on the train/bus/airplane, and they want to TALK and you want them to be quiet, but noooooo they have to tell you all about the time that her nephew gave his hamster a haircut and did you ever meet a celebrity? she met Burt Reynolds, that one time....

 

[Summer2018]

As a patient has a drug commercial ever convinced you to ask your doctor to prescribe you the drug being advertised?

As a doctor has a drug commercial ever convinced you to start prescribing the drug being advertised?

There are so many drug commercials on TV now. I get all my TV from YouTubeTV and it seems like all the unskippable commercials are either for various drugs or Buick.

I have already decided I will never buy a Buick based on the sheer volume of commercials for their product I have been forced to watch.

I am thinking that if I ever end up with severely active rheumatoid arthritis, I would rather remain in pain then take Xeljanz. So many Xeljanz commercials, so many.

I don’t know, but I find them to be the most annoying thing in the world besides unsolicited scam phone calls to both my landline and cell phone.

I’m saddened by the greed of the drug companies. The focus should be healing, not a money grab.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

We get patients calling in all the time for drugs they have seen on TV. It was really fun back before they could say what the drug actually was for in the commercial. People would ask for the drug without even knowing if it was something made for them.

I would say 95% of the time, even if the doctor was okay with prescribing the medication to the patient, insurance companies would deny paying for it. We would then get a call complaining we prescribed them a $1000 medication.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I don’t know either, and I agree they are annoying and should be banned. I especially hate the ones for ED. And it’s ridiculous when they list all the side effects in the voiceover at the end. Some of those sound worse than the ailment it treats. DH and I joke about it.

It was really fun back before they could say what the drug actually was for in the commercial. People would ask for the drug without even knowing if it was something made for them.

I know, how stupid is that? I remember years ago when they first started, I’d see the Claritin ads all the time and wonder what it was for and why they didn’t tell you. LOL, just the implication that if you took it, your life would be filled with clear sunny days!

 

[usnuzuloose]

The commercials are annoying. And like anyone can read the fine print at the ad on tv. And the new drugs give off to many other symptons more than the drug can help you. I think these should be for the DR's only. There are no regular commercials anymore. All health care ads only. UGH

 

[amcnj]

I always assumed their aim was to get patients to start asking their doctor about the product.

There are so many of them that it makes me assume they are effective.

 

[kimblebee]

As an regular intentional visitor to America, this has always fascinated me about American TV. Here in Ireland the advertising of prescription only drugs is not allowed. Only over the counter medication is allowed to be advertised.

It really fascinates me that the American general public can go to their doctor and ask for a particular brand of prescription medication. Here in Ireland, you go to a doctor and you just get the most appropriate brand of medication.

We’re the same way, no advertisements for medications, unless it’s otc. Because most of our channels are American, we get subjected to the ads. I remember seeing a commercial for..something and the quick side effect voice said one of the possible side effects was PML, which is a brain infection that most likely will kill you, as if it was nothing. It should have been put in great big giant letters. I had to stop a life changing medication because I developed a virus that put me at a high risk for developing PML if I continued it (that’s how I know about it).

I’ve seen people here say that they can just call their doctors office and ask to be prescribed something and it always makes me wonder how that’s even legal.

 

[Kitty 34]

As an regular intentional visitor to America, this has always fascinated me about American TV. Here in Ireland the advertising of prescription only drugs is not allowed. Only over the counter medication is allowed to be advertised.

It really fascinates me that the American general public can go to their doctor and ask for a particular brand of prescription medication. Here in Ireland, you go to a doctor and you just get the most appropriate brand of medication.

Oh don't worry. If we ask a doctor for a certain drug and the doctor says yes, 90% of the time the insurance companies say no. So I'm not sure the benefits the drug companies get by airing all their drugs and good and bad effects on TV and other media when the insurance companies have most of the control over the doctor offices prescribing them.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Considering that most commercials say "ask your doctor if xyz is right for you" its obviously for patients.

 

[mnrose]

It's just one more example of how ordinary people think they are capable of making the same decisions as "experts," never mind that your doctor went to school for far longer specifically to learn about this stuff. SMH. It's a horrible trend and is going to be the ruination of this country eventually. It's all part of the "my googling is equal to your degree" trend.

 

[Hikergirl]

As a patient I do want to be aware of what treatment is out there for whatever it is I am suffering from.
While there may be some people demanding medications, there are probably just as many, or more just inquiring about one they saw on TV or heard on the radio.
Maybe the problem isn't so much with patients, maybe the problem is that doctor's egos are too big and don't like to have their patients get information from any other source.

 

[tvguy]

It's just one more example of how ordinary people think they are capable of making the same decisions as "experts," never mind that your doctor went to school for far longer specifically to learn about this stuff. SMH. It's a horrible trend and is going to be the ruination of this country eventually. It's all part of the "my googling is equal to your degree" trend.

I have no issue with a patient being their own advocate with their Doctor and ASKING about a medication or treatment. DEMANDING a medication or treatment is another thing. We all need to be bigger advocates for our own health. But I'm just coming of a series of friends who had have less that good experiences with Doctors. But in those cases, the Primary care Doctor put off referring them to a Specialist to get a treatment of prescription medication, and the Specialists first question has always been, "why didn't your Primary care Doctor give you a referral MONTHS ago.
'

 

[yeahdisney]

Most meds on commercials are not covered by peeps insurance in my state. Remember when the shingles vaccine came out for peeps over 65, yet Medicare did not cover it yet?

 

[Nagle]

Drug commercials are for the Drug Companies. Trying to convince patients to ask for drugs because the commercials make them seem phenomenal.